Guide:

Park Slope's Best Places To Eat & Drink

Park Slope might as well be an island. Not because it’s far away from other neighborhoods, and not because it’s surrounded by a body of water - but because it’s a self-contained oasis of brownstones, strollers, and more grocery stores than you ever thought anyone needed.

If you don’t live in the neighborhood, a quick lay of the land: Park Slope is the giant area bordering the west side of Prospect Park. Should you find yourself there without a plan, head for 5th or 7th Avenues, the two major streets that run down the length of the neighborhood, where the majority of restaurants and bars are. Everything in between them is mostly residential.

Park Slope is filled with a mind-blowing number of restaurants and bars - we’ve narrowed down this list to the 46 places most worthy of your time, organized by North, Center, and South Slope.

north slope

The typical internal monologue when you don't have dinner plans and don't want to cook usually plays out like this: I want something easy. And fast. And delicious. But also kind of healthy? And maybe with a side of mac and cheese? Purbird is the ideal delivery or super casual eat-in joint because it delivers on all fronts. The thing here is perfect, juicy grilled chicken and awesome sides. And possibly the best mac and cheese in the city.

Park Slope is the brunch mecca of Brooklyn, and Miriam is the holy grail. Whether you want your usual french toast and benedicts, or you’re finally bored of all that and want something next-level - Miriam is here for you. The Israeli spot makes some truly excellent Mediterranean brunch dishes (get the burekas), and the environment is homey but still lively. If you’re looking for a party, get a pitcher or three of sangria.

Franny’s doesn’t quite compete in the Lucali-Roberta’s-Paulie Gee’s pizza conversation, but these are still some excellent Neopolitan pies - the clam pie is a must. Beyond pizza, Franny’s also does excellent pastas and salads.

This isn’t just our favorite cocktail bar in Park Slope, it’s one of our favorite cocktail bars in Brooklyn. It’s unpretentious enough that you could walk in on any weeknight for a casual drink and light bite (get the big charcuterie plate), but vibey enough to continue a date night after hitting Al Di La. This is the kind of place where you can tell the bartender what you'd like your drink to taste like, and they’d know how to make exactly what you have in mind. Take that negroni out onto the back patio for maximum enjoyment.

For a classed-up but still casual drink in North Slope, we love Wolf & Deer. All the action takes place around a big u-shaped bar, which gives the place a social vibe. Come here for any one-on-one requiring solid cocktails or wine, and know that oysters and cheese plates are on hand should you need sustenance.

Apologies to all the muffin lovers out there, but they've never really been our thing. Generally we’d take a bagel or a cinnamon roll or a croissant over a muffin any day. But not Blue Sky Bakery muffins. These things are unbelievably good, stuffed with amazing fruits, and never too sugary or sweet. Get there early - they close at 2pm and the best muffins sell out by late morning.

If you don’t want to deal with the hour wait at Al Di La, Convivium is a great consolation. Though from the outside it might look like a weird antiques shop, the interior is quite pleasant, and the rustic Mediterranean-tinged Italian food is very good. Best seats in the house are on the back indoor/outdoor patio.

Cafe Regular feels stuck in a long-gone time and place where people congregated over coffee to discuss important intellectual matters. There’s a definite coffeehouse culture here, with people posting up on the chairs inside and out front on the sidewalk, newspapers and cappuccinos in hand. For that reason, and the excellent cold brew, this is our favorite coffee shop in Park Slope.

We’ve heard people mention Lobo in their conversations about the best Tex-Mex in NYC. To be frank, those people are wrong. But Lobo is great for one thing and one thing only: awesome, fresh margaritas to be consumed outside when the weather is nice. The large guac should be enough to keep you from getting too drunk.

Because it falls just slightly to the west of 4th Avenue, Threes is technically not within the bounds of Park Slope. But we’ve always been rule breakers, especially when spreading important information to the people. And that important information is this: Threes is the best group hang/day drinking option in Park Slope, and even better if you come hungry. The food rotates, but is always from spots you probably have on your hit list anyway (Roberta’s is there often).

Park Slope has it all, and excellent Ethiopian food is no exception. The combo platters are the best way to try everything - just be sure to bring someone you’re not afraid to get messy with, as you won’t be using any utensils here.

From the same people behind The Slanted Door (the very popular San Francisco Vietnamese spot), Bricolage is one of the better options for slightly elevated food and cocktails, in a nice-but-not-too-nice environment. Use it for date night or girls' night out, but just make sure you take advantage of the incredible back patio.

Every neighborhood has their go-to casual sushi spot, and Taro is exactly that. Very fresh, reasonably priced, and a nice enough environment that you could go to meet a friend or date but not so nice that you couldn’t wear gym clothes.

Sun In Bloom is a gluten-free, vegan, and raw restaurant where you can order many “live” menu options. If you’re not already annoyed by this prospect, you might enjoy it - it’s a sunny space good for a casual weekend brunch or dinner. Provided you’re happy to eat solely plant and tofu products.

Bogota is what you would call a “fun” restaurant. There are bright colors everywhere, the drinks are tasty and tropical, there’s a mural-covered back patio, and reads like an extensive Greatest Hits of Latin food (with everything from empanadas to arepas to churros). If you’re planning an affordable group dinner, Bogota is an excellent bet.

Probably thanks to Park Slope’s thriving child population, the neighborhood is home to three of NYC’s biggest names in pizza: Patsy’s, Artichoke Basille’s, and Two Boots. Out of the three, our move will always be Patsy’s, but to each his own.

We don't typically (read: ever) include bodegas on our site. Most bodegas know how to make a mean BEC, and most people would argue that their bodega is better than yours. But we'd have to disagree, because Fifth Avenue Market is the best bodega in all the land. The cooks here are sandwich artists - if you can't find something you want on their 50-item menu, you can pretty much get anything your heart desires. If you find yourself drunk in Park Slope at 3am, congratulations, and hit this bodega for your intoxicated food needs.

center slope

You know that familiar feeling at busy brunch spots that your eggs were scrambled for a little too long, or your waffle might have been reheated in the microwave? Brunch at Rose Water couldn't be farther from that. The menu changes weekly, is super seasonal, and despite the fact that it's always packed, every plate looks and tastes like a lot of creativity and care went into it. Dinner at Rose Water is just as awesome, but know that it's a slightly more formal vibe. Bring your parents, and get the fried goat cheese and proscuitto if they have it.

Do you like the Olive Garden? If you answered yes, whether shamefully or proudly, then you will like La Villa. It’s basically the Park Slope version - huge menu of Americanized Italian food, and a highly casual setting that would be especially good for people over 70 and people under 7. All that said, the food is actually decent, and if you’re someone who’s happy to go to town on some chicken parm and unlimited free onion focaccia (better than breadsticks) you will probably enjoy it. Take note: most entrees could easily be split between two people, and the pizza here is surprisingly good.

Park Slope is ridiculously stacked in all the major eating categories, with one exception: good, casual daytime spots to dine solo and/or get work done. Kos is one of the better options, with big windows (crucial for doing work enjoyably on weekends) and a lot of seating (though it does tend to fill up during peak times). For breakfast, we love the house-made granola and sausage & egg biscuit, and the salads and sandwiches are solid at lunch. If the basil lemonade Arnold Palmer is an option, do not miss your opportunity.

Should you be craving ramen while in Park Slope, Naruto is probably your best option. It’s not by any stretch going to be the best ramen you’ve ever had, but it will do the trick in a pinch. (And if you are looking for the best ramen you've ever had, make the quick trick over to Prospect Heights for Chuko.)

Our go-to Chinese spot in the neighborhood, we like Hunan Delight because it's consistently fresh, and because delivery comes at record speeds. One good reason to eat-in? The outdoor seating, right on Union Ave (for prime Park Slope people watching).

Without question the best casual Thai food in the neighborhood, Song is equally useful for nights when you need pad thai on your couch immediately and nights when you need to leave your apartment but don’t want to take off your sweatpants. The standard Thai dishes always taste exactly like you need them to (the pad see ew is a personal favorite), and almost nothing on the menu costs more than $12. Song has saved our life more times than we’d care to admit.

Palo Santo is the slightly more refined, upscale Latin/Caribbean counterpart to Bogota’s colorful, casual, party vibes. It’s on the bottom floor of a brownstone, and its wood-covered, low-key interior lends itself well to anyone that always complains about loud restaurants.

For a low-key drink in Park Slope, you have many choices. But for some real action? Not so much. But the next time you find yourself post-dinner or Prospect Park day drinking excursion (not that we’ve done that) and want to keep the party rolling, head to Union Hall. It’s a big space, with cheap drinks, bocce ball courts, an outdoor courtyard, a downstairs venue that hosts dance parties (or comedy shows on weeknights), and even a cozy, leather-chair covered section for hanging out by the fire. To put it simply, this place has you covered no matter what kind of drinking experience you’re looking for.

Date night? We’re never not going to tell you to that Al Di La is the move. This is some of the very best rustic Italian food in all of New York, with a seriously charming environment to match. But you don’t just need a date for Al Di La - bring your parents, bring your friends, or if you’re dining solo and a pasta craving hits hard, head for Al Di La Vino - their overflow space right around the corner with a bar that’s perfect for a party of one.

All the kids = all the sweet treats. But this is by far our favorite bakery in the neighborhood - it has the best croissant in Park Slope, along with some killer cookies and cupcakes. It’s such a popular spot that they have two locations - the other is in South Slope.

We would never, ever open a food establishment of any kind. But if we did, we’d probably want it to look like Pork Slope. This is the kind of neighborhood-bar-with-food that any neighborhood would be extremely lucky to have, and one we’re happy to travel for. It’s a great hang anytime, but particularly useful for game watching, dining solo at the bar, and late-night drunk food. To do it right, order the wings, a burger, and tots.

There are better restaurants in Park Slope than Stone Park Cafe. And yet, probably because Yelp told them to, people mob this place every weekend for brunch. Wait times would have you think you had stumbled upon the trendiest restaurant in Brooklyn - but you didn’t. What is Stone Park, actually? Good, if unexciting American food, with white tablecloths, and a “nice” environment. If your parents lived in the neighborhood, they’d be here all the time.

The Blue Ribbon owners jumped on the Brooklyn boat pretty early on in Park Slope’s post-gentrification, family-filled era back in 2001. And they were smart about it - Blue Ribbon food is already kid-friendly (if you’re the type that doesn’t mind shelling out for that burger and sundae), but the environment here is a lot more laid-back than the original. And if you don’t have kids with you, this works just as well for a go-big date night: all the raw bar, all the cocktails, all the surf and turf.

This is basically Taco Bell for adults. And as long as you’re not looking for authentic Mexican food by any stretch of the imagination, that’s a good thing. What we like about the Park Slope location of Calexico is that you can pollute your body with margaritas and burritos and “crack sauce” (spicy mayo) while in a bright, clean, generally pleasant space. Just beware of the stroller brigade.

This is about as grungy as Park Slope gets, meaning it’s a tiny bit edgy but mostly clean. Come for the open-air space, stay for the beer selection and pinball machines. Bonus: they allow dogs - expect to see equal amounts of four-legged and two-legged creatures here.

This old-school Italian deli is the kind of place that makes you want to stop what you’re doing and make some pasta immediately. But if you can avoid the tempting fresh pasta and sauces and cheeses and keep your eyes on the prize, the Italian deli sandwiches are excellent - get any that involve the fresh mozzarella and you’ll be happy. There’s also a second location in South Slope for your convenience.

south slope

The writer of this guide is extremely passionate about market sides. They are, hands down, the ideal lunch food. But even if you have no idea what I’m talking about, you do need to know that Gather is a nice, bright spot right at the 7th Avenue F/G station serving solid breakfast foods and lunchtime market sides.

Park Slope, land of straightforward, friendly neighborhood bars. This is one of South Slope’s best, with a homey vibe (as in, you might be in your grandma’s living room), reasonably priced drinks, and outdoor patio situation.

“Neighborhood spot” and “mindblowing food” are two phrases that don’t really go together. The all-day spot at the very bottom of Prospect Park may not look like much at first look, but what’s happening in the kitchen here is big-time. There isn’t a situation for which Krupa wouldn’t be an excellent decision - take advantage of it for brunch, weekday breakfasts, or dinner any night you want something just a little more elevated than your usual go-to.

Named for its Top Chef-contestant owner, Talde’s high hype factor has died down slightly - but that makes it all the better for you, because now you won’t have to wait two hours (you can even make a reservation) for one of the best meals in the hood. Asian fusion may get a bad rap, but Talde is here to remind us that it’s stupidly fun to consume. When would you not be excited to eat pretzel pork dumplings? Or bacon pad thai? The best way to try Talde is with a big group for dinner or brunch. More people means more things ordered means more happiness.

Double date in South Slope? Can’t say we go on a lot of double dates ourselves, but all those parents definitely need to get together to blow off some steam (and all the young people that somehow ended up in Park Slope definitely need to join forces). But we digress. If you’re on a double date, or really any date, or you just want to eat some very solid Mexican food, Fonda is a good move. The brick-walled space gives the place a warm vibe, and there’s a good-sized back patio. Fact: margaritas and guacamole taste better outside.

A daydrinking dream, Greenwood Park is 13,000 square feet (we don’t really know what that means but it’s a lot) of indoor/outdoor beer garden glory. Whether you’re looking for a daytime birthday party venue (boccee courts: check) or need for a place to convince your lazy friends to leave their apartments on a Sunday afternoon (good food and beer: check), Greenwood Park is perfect.

Want restaurant and bar intel like this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for our newsletter here.